20 May 2013

The Ghost of Backstory in Death Perception: Guest Post by Lee Allen Howard

The Ghost of Backstory in Death Perception

Backstory is everything that happened to the protagonist
before the story begins. In The Anatomy
of Story, John Truby calls this the “ghost.” The ghost is usually some
negative event from the past that still haunts the protagonist in the present.
This past trauma is the source of the hero’s current psychological and moral
weakness. It’s his internal opponent, what Truby describes as the “great fear
that is holding him back from action.”

In DEATH PERCEPTION, my just-released supernatural thriller,
young protagonist Kennet Singleton’s backstory ghost is his father’s drunken
violence, resulting in his father’s death and the loss of his mother’s eye. Lack
of a good role model has crippled Kennet from striking out on his own; at 19,
he still lives with his invalid mother in a personal care home and holds only a
part-time job at a local funeral home.

However, Kennet’s natural hypersensitivity toward his
father’s moods and abusive behavior birthed a psychic gift that blooms when an
old prophetess lays her hands on him. Later he discovers that he can discern
the cause of death of those he cremates—by toasting marshmallows over their
ashes.

When he begins believing in himself and using his gift to
avenge the spirits of those who have been murdered (ghosts of a different sort),
Kennet finds the courage to stand up for himself and forge his way toward
independence.

Good stories dramatize the process of a flawed character
overcoming past wounds on the path to wholeness. Even in a tale of horror and
supernatural crime, Kennet’s “ghosts” find justice—and peace.

Lee Allen Howard writes horror, dark fantasy, and
supernatural crime. He’s been a professional writer and editor of both fiction
and nonfiction since 1985. His publications include The Sixth Seed, Desperate
Spirits, Night Monsters, “Mama
Said,” “Stray,” and DEATH PERCEPTION, available in various formats at http://leeallenhoward.com.